Heatwave
by misshoneychurch88
Summary: Short ficlet set after the series 4 Christmas special. A small accident in the attic, and the sticky moment that follows.
1. Chapter 1

After a few years out of writing, I decided to try my hand again. This took its inspiration from my realizing what view a tall man would have had of me when I was wearing my corset the other day. True story there.

Set Post Series 4 Christmas Special

After the mess of the last few days from returning from London and reorganizing the house after her absence, all of this compounded by an unexpected heat wave, Mrs. Hughes could think of nothing better to do than getting out of her clothing and into her bed. The last of the maids had been sent to bed, and Mr. Carson was just sending the footmen up as she shut her door. Everyone, even Mr. Carson, had a slight sheen of sweat on their foreheads as they moved towards the stairs.

"Goodnight Mr. Carson"

"Goodnight Mrs. Hughes, let us pray for cooler weather."

"Amen to that" she said chuckling and began climbing the stairs behind him.

Once to her room, she stripped off her dress as quickly as the small buttons would allow. Her shift was damp with sweat and stuck to her legs and chest above her corset. She sat down, kicking off her shoes, and rolling down her stockings. The feeling of fresh air hitting her legs was heaven. She breathed a sigh of relief, before moving to her washbasin to wet a flannel.

As she brought the cool cloth up to her face, there was a loud crash, followed by a cacophony of yells from the men's side. Dropping the flannel, she threw her dressing gown on and flung open her door. Shooing the maids back into their rooms, she turned the key and opened the door to the men's side, and bit back a laugh.

Sprawled on the floor were James and Thomas, the latter with a bloody nose, both yelling at each other.

"Be careful opening doors on the hallway you dumb clod!"

"How was I to know you'd be rushing down the hall this late?"

"That's beside the point Jimmy, you should be careful up here! It's not a bleeding promenade is it?"

Biting back a laugh, she looked to Mr. Carson, standing over them in his untucked shirt-tails and no tie, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Mr. Barrow, please calm down and go clean yourself up. James, if you would kindly remember this is not a race track, it would be greatly appreciated. Now everyone, to bed!" he finished, gesturing to the various men poking their heads from doorways. With that he turned to walk back towards his room.

"I see all is under control then Mr. Carson?" She smiled up at his frustrated expression. James and Thomas had become fast friends, but the rocky beginning full of accusations occasionally reared its head.

He sighed coming closer to her and began "All is well over here Mrs. Hughes, thanks for your…" he broke off mid sentence staring down at her.

She began to ask him what was the matter when she noticed his eye line. He wasn't looking down at her face as he usually did, his gaze had focused a bit lower. Looking down at herself she realized why. In her haste into it, she had only managed to get her dressing gown closed from her waist down. The top of her corset was visible, as was her damp chemise sticking to the tops of her breasts spilling over from her corset. Breathing heavily from the rush of excitement and covered in a sheen of sweat, she looked like a scene from one of the novels she was always confiscating from new maids.

Looking back up at his face, he had turned redder and, though it may have been her imagination, was breaking into a new sweat. She quickly wrapped the top of her dressing gown more securely across her chest, trying desperately to not blush.

"My apologies Mr. Carson. If you've got everything under control, I'll just head back now," she smiled shyly up at him.

The movement of her dressing gown had brought his eyes back up to her face. He nodded curtly, saying "Of course, but again, thank you for the concern," and then turning he went into his room.

Locking the door behind her, she shooed a few more maids back to bed, assuring them all was in order on the other side. Shutting herself back into her room as fast as she could, a huge grin broke out on her face.

_Well, his interests were definitely not entirely proper after all_,she thought holding her hand over her mouth to stop from laughing. _Maybe the paddle in the sea wasn't for naught. _

"Thank god for heat waves," she whispered, discarding her dressing gown and reaching for her corset laces.


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry about the long wait for this, life got the better of me. I had initially only planned this as a one shot, but after several kind reviewers suggested a second chapter from Mr Carson's perspective, I thought I should give it a go. Anyway, this is the last of it, but I'm back into a space where I can write for fun again!

Also I had to put my corset back on and stare at my own boob in the mirror to write this. The things we do…

Mr Carson only managed the climb up the stairs by telling himself it was the last bit of exertion he would have to put forth that day. The heat had taken more out of him than he would care to admit, and with the added work of re-opening the house after the season, he was utterly spent.

Shutting the door to his room, he pulled his tie off, tossed it onto his desk, removed his jacket and waist coat, and had begun un-tucking and unbuttoning his shirt when he heard a loud crash echoing from the hallway. He grunted angrily to himself as he threw open the door.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?" he yelled at the two footmen sprawled on the floor, Thomas with a bloodied nose. The two footmen paid him no heed, and instead continued yelling at each other. Over the din, from which he gathered James had swung a door open into Thomas' face, he heard the door to the women's side open. _Of course, no way to keep this noise to the one side, _he thought as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Mr Barrow, please calm down and go clean yourself up. James, if you would kindly remember that this is not a race track it would be greatly appreciated," he shouted, effectively breaking through their raised voices. "Now everyone, to bed!" he looked at the other men who had popped their heads out to see the ruckus. Sighing, he turned to walk back into his room when he heard her voice.

"I see all is under control then Mr Carson?"

Turning to her he began, "All is well over here Mrs Hughes, thanks for your…" but his voice caught in his through when he finally saw her properly. Her dressing gown was open across her torso, revealing her corset, and the tops of her shift pulled taught across her chest. He had never seen her with so much as her top buttons undone, and now he could see to top halves of her…_her breasts_, he thought, as he felt the blood rush to his face. The shift showing above her corset was damp with perspiration, nearly transparent from the moisture, and clung to her skin. With every breath she took, her breasts moved up and down, pulling the fabric taught across the swells. His mind filled with thoughts and feelings he had pushed down for years, and he felt new beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead as he fought to keep the thoughts securely in the back of his mind.

After what felt like hours, but in reality must have only been a few seconds, Mrs Hughes pulled her dressing gown more securely shut. "My apologies Mr Carson. If you've got everything under control, I'll just head back now," and as she finished he met her eyes finally, and saw a shy smile on her lips. Instead of steadying him, the sweet smile on her lips just moments after seeing her in such an exposed state drove him almost over the edge.

"Of course," he started "but again, thank you for your concern," and with a curt nod he rushed back into his room as fast as propriety would allow. Once inside he hurriedly removed his clothes and, standing in his undershirt and shorts, doused his face several times in the cool water from the basin.

_Calm down man, good god, you're not some hall boy fresh into service! _He chastised himself _She is your friend and colleague, you should not be thinking of her in such terms or positions,_ and on this scandalous thought he reached for more cool water.

_Go to bed man, and god willing the heat will be gone in the morning. _


End file.
